Combined reversible letter sheet and envelope



, (No Model.) s

D. W. GLEGG." A COMBINED REVERSIBLE LETTER SHEET AND ENVELOEE.

No.'308,555. h Patented Nov. 25, 1884.

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TINTTTD STATES PATENT Orr-rica.

DANIEL WEBSTER OLEGG, OF ILEASANTVILLE, NEV YORK.

COMBINED REVERSIBLE LETTER SHEET AND ENVELOPE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 308,555,.dated November 25, 1884.

Application lled October 18, 1884. (No model.)

, following to be afull, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains toV make and use the same.

My invention relates to combined letter sheets and envelopes.

In my application filed June 27, 188i, No. 136,146, of which this is a division, the iinprovements claimed consist, substantially, of a sheet of paper folded near its center, having on one edgea sealing-Hap, and on the edge adjacent thereto a marginal fold not overlapping the folded section, and the inclosing and marginal folds suitably gummed for sealing the letter. In my present application I ernploy the same form of sheet and marginal fold; but in place of the inclosing-flap there described I use a flap provided with a tongue, and dispense with the gumining of the marginal fold, and add to the structure a slit formed in the body ofthe sheet for the reception of the tongue, whereby the combined letter sheet and envelope is made reversible, as more fully hereinafter described and claimed.

My improvement is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure l is a view in elevation showing the inner letterwriting portion and the primary fold ready for use, and Fig. 2 a similar view showing the addressing part and back of the letter.

In the drawings, A represents a letter-leaf, which is nearly one-half of the sheet after receiving the initial fold, and which is devoted to the body of the letter; and A', the reverse side of this leaf.

F and G are respectively the opposite sides of the envelope portion of the sheet, one fold of which is devoted to the stamp, address, and other directions.

Gis the marginal fold above alluded to.

I and I are the front and reverse sides of the inclosing-iiap, and f and g the front and opposite sides of a tongue, T, which forms part ofthe inclosing-flap.

B is the part which constitutes the back of the letter when folded and closed; b b, the line on which the sheet is' folded to close the sheet, and d a slit formed in the body of the back B to receive the tongue.y

In operation the body of the letter is written on part "A, as indicated in Fig. 1. The letter is then folded once on line b b, address written on part F, as shown in Fig. 2, and the tongue T inserted in slit d, when the letter is ready to be mailed. To reverse the letter, so that the reply can be returned on the same sheet,'the marginal fold C'is turned on theline e e, and the writing portion A turned over on the line f f, Fig. 1. This leaves the part-A to be written upon and the part G for the new address.

As thus far described the letter-sheet may be used for sending and returning the` letter without sealing, except so far as the same is sealed by the insertion of the tongue T inthe slot d but ,if it isdesired to more securely seal the same, the tongue may on one side of the letter be gummed above the line jr. Thus arranged the tongue is not inserted in the slit, but is sealed tothe back of the envelope.' The letter is then opened by cutting or tearing the tongue on the line 7i, and in reversing and returning 'the' letter 'the gummed portion of the inclosing-fiap below the line h is turned over and sealed to the back of the envelope.

cfindicate the "line on which the inclosingiap may be torn olf.

I am aware that a reversible envelope and letter-sheet provided with a tongue is old, as

shown, for instance, in Tottens Patent No.

198,322, December 18, 1877; but that device is not provided with a reversible marginal Hap nor with a rever/sible letter-leaf, and the tongue is inserted in a slit formed in the crease between the first and second folds. By my improvement not only is the reversible letterleaf provided for the return message, but the double edges and the saine general appearance and form of an ordinaryenvelope are preserved, the writing safely secured from inspection, and the slit for the tongue is formed in the back of the envelope near its center. In short, my reversible letter sheet and envelope embraces in one structure all the advantages of two ordinary letters and their IOO separate envelopes. Again, by my improvement, if it is desired to retain the message sent, the part of the sheet A on which the message is Written may be torn off, and, if necessary, 5 the marginal fold also, and the reply Written on the remaining blank fold. l

' Having thus described my invention, what I claim isl. The combined letter sheet and envelope 1o having the reversible letter-leaf, the reversible marginal flap not overlapping the said leaf, and the inclosing-flap, provided with means, substantially as described,by which the folded sheet is secured in closed condition both be 15 fore and after it is reversed.

DANIEL VEBSTER CLEGG.

Tituessesz J. H. BLAcKWooD, XV. H. DooLIrTLE. 

